The Return of BLOG!

BLOG! is back.

I know I have neglected it of late, and was phoning it in for much of 2008, but this year I promise to post more than the occasional playlist. 2009 will see a return of the hard-hitting, incisive blogging you've come to expect.

And more playlists, of course.

I will probably be hyping the radio programs a bit more in '09, and will be debuting a third show, working title The Texas Time Machine, which is sort of a Texan version of Florida Rocks Again!, in the spring.

We will be expanding both The Florida Rocks Again! Swag Shack at Cafe Press and the Online Superstore soon and very soon. But buy now and save!

Apologies for not posting the playlists for A Florida Rocks Again! Christmas, or the rocking "More of the Ones That Got Away" episode.

I spent the holidays in sub-zero temperatures in beautiful Southwestern North Dakota. Had a couple of excellent meals at the Dairy Barn and the best soup I've had in many years, the Creamy Tomato Dill, at the Dakota Diner. Read a few books, watched the Criterion Collection DVD of Two Lane Blacktop, and caught Fargo on TV.

The kids saw snow (and plenty of it) for the first time. It was pretty cool.

And bloody cold.

The Mal Thursday Show #10: Surprise, Surprise

Surprise, Surprise! It’s a groovy grab-bag of tough sounds on this eclectic episode of The Mal Thursday Show. Featuring a set of Texas-related material from the likes of Loco Gringos and the Ugly Beats and some vintage ‘66 garage from the Loved Ones, the Underdogs, and Positively 13 O’Clock.

In Living Monophonic Sound.

While you’re digging the crazy sounds, why not pay a visit to The Florida Rocks Again! Swag Shack and while you’re at it, check out the GaragePunk.com Store as well.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Playlist:

THE LOVED ONES: Surprise, Surprise
THE UNDERDOGS: Surprise, Surprise/Get On Your Knees
THE WOOLIES: Put Her Down
THE GRAVEN IMAGE: Take a Bite of Life
KEN & THE 4TH DIMENSION: See If I Care
THE PAINTED SHIP: Little White Lies
POSITIVELY 13 O'CLOCK: Psychotic Reaction

THE YARDBIRDS: Train Kept a Rollin' (live '68)
RITHCIE VALENS: Ooh! My Head!
THE PLEBS: Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You
JAKE HOLMES: Dazed and Confused
SMALL FACES: You Need Lovin'
JIMMY PAGE: She Just Satisfies

THE UGLY BEATS: Take a Stand/Girl on the Brain
LOCO GRINGOS: Texas Ranger Man
FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Headin' for the Texas Border
JON WAYNE: Mr. Egyptian
ROKY ERICKSON: Cold Night for Alligators
SONS OF HERCULES: Get Lost
MARK LANEGAN: She's Not for You

Positively 13 O'Clock

Florida Rocks Again! #31: The Ones That Got Away

This edition of Florida Rocks Again! is made up of songs that have never been heard in any of the previous 30 episodes of the series on the Garagepunk.com Podcast. Among these tasty leftovers are some grade A, top-quality garage, soul, and rhythm & blues nuggets for your listening and dancing pleasure. Featuring tracks from King Coleman, the Shaggs, Benny Spellman, We The People, White Witch, and many more.

Produced by JM Dobies and Jeff Lemlich in Living Monophonic Sound.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

While you're digging the crazy sounds, why not pay a visit to The Florida Rocks Again! Swag Shack at Cafe Press, and while you're at it, check out The Garagepunk.com store as well.

Playlist:

KING COLEMAN: Loo-Key Doo-Key
THE ARTWOODS: I Take What I Want
THE SHAGGS: You Got Me Hummin'
SAM & DAVE: Rich Kind of Poverty
BENNY SPELLMAN: Fortune Teller
THE ROYAL GUARDSMEN: Roadrunner/Jolly Green Giant
THE BARONS: Lovin' Man

WE THE PEOPLE: Too Much Noise
STEVE ALAIMO: I Don't Know
THE 13th HOUR GLASS: Baby Let's Wait
THE RAZOR'S EDGE: Get Yourself Together
THE BIRDWATCHERS: Just Be Yourself
THE MAGI: You Don't Know Me

THE HATE BOMBS: Safe Harbor
THE TIFFANY SYSTEM: Wayward One
NEW CHAINS III: Like a Friend
THE ROEMANS: Your Friend
THE TROPICS: Hey Little Girl
WHITE WITCH: Class of 2000
THE SQUIREMEN FOUR: Bitter End

More Top Tens at Viewpoints.com

Click on the image to read review:

The Mal Thursday Show #9: Sons of the Stage

Here's a self-referential variation on THE MAL THURSDAY SHOW #4: Songs The Lyres Taught Us, featuring various songs covered by my old bands: The Malarians (1984-1990), The Cheetahs (1991-2001), and The Whores (2000). This episode is bittersweet, in that part of me wishes I was still up there on stage with a mic in my hand. These days, my voice has about three songs in it before I start sounding like Andy Devine. Most of all, I remember how much fun it was to play these songs for people.

Presented in Living Monophonic Sound.

Available via iTunes or...

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD NOW!

Mal Thursday and The Cheetahs:
THE CHEETAHS: That's Your Problem
THE OUTSIDERS: Filthy Rich
THE CREATION: Makin' Time
THE WARLOCKS: New Things Runnin' Around My Mind
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Between the Lines
LONELY MOANS: Rotting
PETER ZAREMBA & THE LOVE DELEGATION: Some Velvet Morning

The Whores:
MC5: Kick Out the Jams
IGGY & THE STOOGES: Dirt (alt. take)/I Got a Right
DEREK & CLIVE: Sex Manual
MOTT THE HOOPLE: One of the Boys (demo)
THE DEAD BOYS: I Need Lunch (rough mix)

The Malarians:
THE TAMRONS: Wild Man
THE COLONY: All I Want
THE MAGIC MUSHROOMS: Never Let Go
TERRY REID: Superlungs My Supergirl
THE BAD ROADS: Blue Girl
THE CLUE: Bad Times
NOBODY'S CHILDREN: Good Times
THE TURTLES: A Walk in the Sun
THE PAINTED SHIP: Frustration
THE MALARIANS: What's New, Pussycat?

Pulp Fiction Redux

You may have noticed that there haven't been as many entries here at BLOG! in recent weeks. Part of that is due to a busy schedule, but it's also due to the fact that I've been doing a lot more reading than writing.

And the stuff I've been reading has been primarily pulp fiction. When I graduated from college back in '87, I took a break from "quality lit" to immerse myself in paperback crime novels of the '40s and '50s. I must have read several hundred over the next couple of years, and lately, I'm back on the same pace.

Here's a list of recent reads:

TEXAS BY THE TAIL
SOUTH OF HEAVEN
by Jim Thompson

THE SPIDERWEB
SHOOTING STAR
by Robert Bloch

OF TENDER SIN
THE WOUNDED AND THE SLAIN
by David Goodis

THE END OF A PRIMITITVE
YESTERDAY WILL MAKE YOU CRY
by Chester Himes

A DIET OF TREACLE
GRIFTER’S GAME
LUCKY AT CARDS
by Lawrence Block

STRONGARM
THE VENGEANCE MAN
by Dan J. Marlowe

THE PRETTIEST GIRL I EVER KILLED by Charles Runyon

HOUSE OF FLESH by Bruno Fischer

MONGO'S BACK IN TOWN by Richard E. Johnson

BLACKMAILER by George Axelrod

THE PEDDLER by Richard S. Prather

BURY ME DEEP by Harold Q. Masur

TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyers

MAGIC CARPET RIDE by John Kay

Florida Rocks Again! at Cafe Press

The Florida Rocks Again! Swag Shop is now open at CafePress.com.


The store offers genuine Florida Rocks Again! merchandise, including T-shirts, Trucker Hats, Hoodies, Coffee Mugs, and more.

Meanwhile, the Florida Rocks Again! Online Superstore is now operational, with posters, books, CDs, and DVDs featuring the All-Time Greats from the Sunshine State.